Infinita Frigus
by actualtree-1432987
Summary: Dark times are ahead for the clans. Leaf-bare has settled over the lake in greenleaf, and cats grow weaker by the day. In a desperate attempt, 4 cats are sent out to try and stop it- But not everyone is happy with this decision. Friendships will be forged, enemies will be made, age-old secrets will be discovered- And nothing will ever be the same again. (Rewrite)
1. Allegiances

Allegiances:

* * *

 **ThunderClan**

Leader: Froststar- White she-cat with a gray paw and blue eyes

Deputy: Dustblaze- Brown tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Fernleaf- Light brown she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Birchpaw

Warriors:

Redstorm- Reddish-brown tom with green eyes

Darkpelt- Dark gray, almost black tom with green eyes

Flamestorm- Black tom with orange paws, chest, tail-tip, and ears. Blue eyes.

Beechcloud- Light ginger tabby with green eyes

Echoflight- Silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Finchbreeze- Orange tom with blue eyes

Aspenfur- Brown tom with blue eyes

Ravenwing- Black tom with white chest, tail tip, ear, and three paws. Amber eyes.

Apprentice, Smokepaw

Eagleflame- Gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Duskpaw

Acornsplash- Dark brown she-cat with green eyes

Sparrowwing- Light brown tom with amber eyes

Apprentices:

Duskpaw- Dark gray tom with blue eyes

Smokepaw- Gray tom with white underbelly and amber eyes

Birchpaw- Cream she-cat with green eyes

Queens:

Nettleclaw- Ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes, expecting Redstorm's kits.

Morningleaf- Golden she-cat with blue eyes; mother of Aspenfur's kits: Sedgekit, Scorchkit, and Robinkit

Elders: Robincry- Reddish-brown tom with white paws and chest and blue eyes

Ashlight- Dark gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes

* * *

 **RiverClan**

Leader: Lightningstar- Tuxedo tom with deep blue eyes

Deputy: Troutflame- Red tabby she-cat with hazel eyes

Apprentice, Cloudpaw

Medicine Cat: Lilypuddle- Gray and white tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Warriors:

Rushingpelt- Gray tom with blue eyes

Reedfur- Black tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Shardpaw

Whiskerfrost- Gray tabby she-cat with piercing blue eyes and 2 white paws

Turtlesnarl- Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Branchfoot- Brown tom with hazel eyes

Slatefur- Blue-gray she-cat with amber eyes

Rumblethroat- Dark gray tom with green eyes and a white-gray splotch on his throat

Apprentice, Snakepaw

Puddlelight- Fluffy flamepoint tom with warm brown eyes

Minnowfur- Black tom with blue eyes

Dawnfoot- Cinnamon tom with green eyes

Beetledusk- Dark brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentices:

Shardpaw- White tom with a gray splotch on his shoulder and one green and one blue eyes

Snakepaw- Bluish-gray she-cat with yellow eyes

Cloudpaw- White she-cat with blue eyes; deaf. Former loner.

Queens:

Grasssky- Cream she-cat with green eyes, father of kits unknown.

Elders:

Tumblepelt- Old ragged brown tabby tom

Quaildusk- Brown spotted tom with hazel eyes

* * *

 **WindClan**

Leader: Stormstar- Dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Deputy: Swiftfoot: White tom with black patches and amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Runningwish- Pure white she-cat with green eyes

Berrypool- Gray tabby tom with green eyes with a scar over one

Warriors:

Breezeflight- Gray she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Featherpaw

Amberclaw- Russet tom with blue eyes

Goldenstorm- Golden tom with amber eyes and one deformed ear

Apprentice, Dawnpaw

Dustclaw- Brown tabby tom with blue eyes

Stormfall- Gray tom with green eyes, missing an ear

Skytail- White she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Rainpaw

Waterpool- Blue she-cat with green eyes

Rapidshine- Golden she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Yellowpaw

Hailfrost- White she-cat with green eyes

Fallowstorm- Dark gray she-cat with green eyes. White underbelly chest, paws, and tail-tip. Scar over her right eye.

Sleetstorm- White tom with a gray ear and blue eyes

Apprentices:

Rainpaw- Gray she-cat with blue eyes

Featherpaw- Fluffy gray tom with a white underbelly and paws and amber eyes

Yellowpaw- Light golden tom with a white tail-tip/paws and blue eyes

Dawnpaw- Cream-colored she-cat with green eyes

Queens:

Snowwing- White she-cat with one green and one blue eye; mother of Goldenstorm's kits: Sagekit and Firekit

Elders:

Fallenshade- Gray tabby tom with blind green eyes

* * *

 **ShadowClan**

Leader: Nightstar- Gray and black tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Falconpaw

Deputy: Crowtalon- Black tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Leafstorm- Brown and white tabby tom with blue eyes

Warriors:

Thistleshade- Light gray tom with green eyes

Bramblefire- Brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Redpaw

Thornpelt- Golden tabby tom with a stumpy tail

Russetstreak- Red tom with a black streak along his spine

Pineleaf- Brown tabby tom with a red paw and blue eyes

Whiskerfur- Small golden tom with green eyes

Creekflight- Gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Summerfall- Orange she-cat with blue eyes

Minnowsplash- Small silver she-cat with amber eyes

Breezelight- Cream-colored she-cat with blue eyes

Crickettail- Dusty brown tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Crowpaw

Apprentices:

Redpaw- Dark russet-furred tom with gray eyes

Crowpaw- Black tom with yellow eyes

Falconpaw- Brown and white tom with amber eyes

Queens:

Blueflame- Gray-blue she-cat with amber eyes; mother of Pineleaf's kits: Goosekit, Grasskit, Owlkit, and Strikekit

Elders:

* * *

 **SkyClan**

Leader: Larkstar- Small gray and white she-cat with amber eyes

Deputy: Eagleflight- Brown tom with blue eyes

Medicine Cat: Flowershine- Light orange she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Sandpaw

Warriors:

Hawkleap- Long haired brownish-golden tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Treepaw

Mistfur- Bluish-grayish she-cat with amber eyes

Swoopflame- Orange tabby tom with green eyes

Tallheart- Long-limbed brown tom with green eyes

Screechfrost- White she-cat with blue eyes

Turtleblaze- Black she-cat with amber eyes

Blackspeck- Black tom with an orange speck on his nose and blue eyes

Daylight Warriors:

Joey- Orange tom with long legs and green eyes

Flamewhisker- Bright red tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Phantompaw

Opalleaf- Cream she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices:

Treepaw- Dusty brown she-cat with green eyes

Phantompaw- White tom with pale blue eyes

Sandpaw- Sandy ginger she-cat with blue eyes

Queens:

Pinewhisker- Red she-cat with blue eyes; mother of Swoopflame's kit: Blazekit

Swallowpelt- Light ginger tabby she-cat with hazel eyes

Elders:

Dusktail- Light brown she-cat with a cream muzzle and chest and amber eyes

Breezepool- Black tom with a long plumy tail and green eyes

* * *

 **Tribe or Rushing Water**

Healer: Teller of the Pointed Stones (Stoneteller)- Brown and white tabby she-cat.

Prey-hunters: 

Stream that Flows Around Rock (Stream)- Silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

Snow that Falls on Rock (Snow)- White tom with pink eyes (Albino)

Light that Shines Through Waterfall (Light)- Golden she-cat with ice-blue eyes and scars over the right one

Eagle that Hunts at Night (Eagle)- Light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Darkness that Comes at Night (Darkness)- black tom with amber eyes

Pebble on Bed of Stream (Pebble)- Dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Boulder where Moss Grows (Boulder)- Dark brown tom with brown eyes

Cave-guards:

Sun that Shines on Icicle (Icicle)- Golden and white tabby tom with green eyes

Star that Shines in Sky (Star)- Light gray tabby she-cat with brown eyes

Hawk that Flies Through Cloud (Hawk)- Long-haired brown tom with yellow eyes

River that Flows through Valley (River)- Blue-gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

Sun that Sets at Dusk (Sun)- Russet tom with green eyes

Leaf on Snowy Mountain (Leaf)- Tortoiseshell tom with hazel eyes

To-bes:

Water that Falls over Cliff (Water): Black tom with blue eyes (Cave-guard)

Rain that Falls from Sky (Rain): Light gray tabby tom with amber eyes (Prey-hunter)

Sky that Flashes with Lightning (Sky): White she-cat with gray splotches. Deep blue eyes. (Prey-hunter)

Kit-mothers- 

Smoke that Clouds Mountain (Smoke)- Light gray she-cat with white paws and tail-tip and blue eyes, mother of Icicle's kits: Falcon that Screeches Loudly (Dark gray tom), Bird that Soars High (Dark brown tom), Creek that Flows Silently (Black and white she-cat), Cricket that Leaps Swiftly (Black and gray she-cat)

Flower that Rests in Stream (Flower): Solid brown she-cat with amber eyes; mother of Eagle's kits: Tree that Topples down Mountain (Tree) and Storm that lies on Horizon (Storm)

Elders- 

Wind that Blows through Mountains (Wind): Dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes (Former cave-guard)

Cloud that Blows Across Sky (Cloud): White she-cat with blind green eyes (Former prey-hunter)

Yowl that Echoes in Cave (Yowl): Yellowish-gold she-cat with white tabby stripes (Former cave-guard)

* * *

 **Cats Outside the Clans**

Loners:

Pouncer: Gray tabby tom with amber eyes

Sky: White she-cat with blue eyes, blind in one eye

Pine: Dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Perch: Silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Pine's kits: Shadow, Falcon, and Dusk

Rouges:

Ragnarok: Big black tom with blue eyes

Fire: Orange she-cat with blue eyes, expecting Ragnarok's kits

Windy: Brown tom with green eyes

Kittypets:

Dutchess: plump, long-haired black and white she-cat with green eyes and a blue collar

Chewbacca: Long-furred brown she-cat with amber eyes and a green collar

Han: Black tom with amber eyes and a white chest, paws, and underbelly and a black collar with a _Millennium Falcon_ shaped tag

Jiin- Grayish-silver tom with blue eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: Decided** **to rewrite this, I wasn't very happy with the old one. I'm leaving the original up, though, if anyone wants to read it.**

 **Smoke, Icicle, and their kits are a homage to Bloodlines, by Majesty's Warrior Life. They're based off Cinderblaze and her kits and were named by Majesty. Icicle belongs to me.** **Redpaw, Crowpaw, and Falconpaw belong to ReadingAnimeLover.**

 **Also, fun fact, toms can be tortiseshell, but it's rare and they're usually sterile. So yes, Leaf on Snowy Mountain is a tortoiseshell tom.**

 **These are the pre-winter Allegiances, by the way.**


	2. Prolouge

_Prolouge_

* * *

The tom woke to an eerie silence. He was surrounded by trees, the RiverClan camp nowhere in sight.

Where am I? he wondered.

He stood up and took in the beauty of the new grounds. A stream trickled through the forest, reflecting light from the sun that draped its way through the trees' branches. The delicious scent of fish lay in the water. He padded silently up to the stream, looking for a way to catch a fish. And that was when he heard the voices.

He pricked his ears in alarm as a female cat yowled in the woods beyond. He followed the sound as though hypnotized. Finally, he came to a fern and crouched there, listening as the female spoke.  
The gray tom was eavesdropping. Not that he enjoyed listening to the strange warriors' personal affairs. He just wanted to find out what was going on.

"How could this be happening, Rushstar? You said the Keeper of Frigid Winter would be careful!"

A pale gray she-cat snarled the words.

"Harshness will destroy the Clans. No cat will be saved from the destruction that is coming! Frigid Winter has betrayed us, and you sit here like a moonstruck mouse about to be caught by a hunter, not caring what is about to happen!"

The cat the she-cat was berating was an elderly brown tom. He merely took in her words, but said nothing as she spat at him in fury. Only once the gray cat had finished did he speak, his voice clouded by sadness.

"This is not what I expected from the Keeper of Frigid Winter. I thought we could trust him to keep his emotion and loyalty under control. Unfortunately, we were wrong. We must send a group of StarClan cats to seek him out in his dreams and persuade him to avert the cold approaching, and we must let the medicine cats and the rest of StarClan know immediately."

As though all was decided, he rose to his paws and padded into the ferns opposite the spy. The she-cat sped fast and blocked his way. "No! We cannot worry all of StarClan and the live Clans! There is nothing we can do. Frigid Winter will just ignore his dreams."

"Then what do you propose we do, Silverlily?" Snapped the tom called Rushstar. "Sit on our tails and watch our Clans die in front of us? No, we must find a way to help them."

The eavesdropper was stunned. These cats were StarClan cats. How was he dreaming this? It was a path that only medicine cats would tread. It was all very confusing. His crouch became unbalanced and he fell, face-first, out of the ferns and into clear view of the arguing cats.

"Mouse-dung!" He cursed, as the cats whipped around to stare at him with hostile gazes.

"What are you doing here, warrior," rumbled Rushstar.

"N-Nothing," stammered the gray tom, taking a step back.

"You should not be here," growled Silverlily. "This is not for prying eyes to witness. Leave. Now."

"I-I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I just wanted to know what was going on. What cold is approaching? Who is the Keeper of Frigid Winter? Who are you?"

"It is not for you to discover the future, but there is no point hiding it from an eavesdropper."

The tom's pelt burned with embarrassment.

"I will explain. There are three Keepers, the Keeper of the Starry Night, the Keeper of the Blazing Sun, and… the Keeper of Frigid Winter. They are in charge of seasons, warmth, coldness, night and day. The Keeper of Frigid Winter has accidently betrayed us. His emotions have somehow gotten the better of him and the power of freezing temperature he holds is about to be unleashed upon the Clans. You must brace yourselves."

"But can't you just ask him to stop?" asked the tom.

"If you were eavesdropping properly, you would have heard us say that his emotions are too powerful for him to listen to us. We actually need live cats to help us, because he will not listen to StarClan," Silverlily hissed.

"The cold will be among us within the next moon of green-leaf," growled Rushstar. "You must refrain from telling any cat, even the ones you are closest or most loyal to. The Clans must face this death and destruction on their own."

"Why won't you help us?" squeaked the RiverClan warrior.

"StarClan is powerless against a force of this magnitude. We can only guide you so far. You must wait for this to occur," murmured Silverlily, looking small and defeated all of a sudden.

Rushstar gently pushed her aside and came to stand, nose-to-nose, with the spying warrior. "You can expect a sign from StarClan to defeat the cold, but we will have to discuss this with warriors who have seen the Frigid Winter before. Please leave. Go back to your duties. Though this will hang over your head, you must remain strong for your Clan. We have faith in you, eavesdropper."

The tom was tired of being called an eavesdropper, but he consented. "I will not say a word unless my Clan needs this information," he vowed.

"Thank you. Hopefully, the Clans will not panic and we will have time to help them. I already have an idea. Now if we could just-"

All of a sudden, the warrior's surroundings vanished and were replaced by the walls of the warrior den. A cat was shaking his shoulders urgently.

"Rushingpelt! Rushingpelt! We're on the dawn patrol, come on!" a voice whispered frantically in his ear.

Rushingpelt got to his paws groggily and followed his awakener outside. Though he looked fine, he felt hollow with the knowledge he now wished he did not know.

Something horrible was about to happen, and the Clans would be begging for mercy when the force of the cold was be unleashed.

Looking around the RiverClan camp, Rushingpelt sighed heavily. How many of his Clanmates would be lost? The Frigid Winter, dreaded by StarClan, was upon them. It was time to brace themselves for the worst and unpredictable leaf-bare coming their way.

* * *

 **A/N: Prolouge written by The One That Disappeared.**


	3. Chapter 1

Flamestorm grumbled as a paw prodded him in his ribs. "Wake up!" a voice hissed in his ear.

The black-and-orange tom rolled over. "Lemme sleep..." he mumbled, sleep slurring his words.

The paw prodded him again. "Hurry up, Flamestorm! You have to see this! I swear, if it's not worth your trouble, I'll let you have my fresh-kill for a week, but it won't be!" the voice- Which he now recognized as Echoflight's- demanded urgently.

Heaving an overdramatic sigh, he heaved himself to his feet, blinking sleepily at the she-cat. Echoflight's eyes were wide, and she was shifting nervously from paw to paw.

Must be something big to get her agitated, he mused. Shaking his head to clear some of the sleep out of his brain, he yawned and then followed Echoflight out of the den, and the camp.

Once they were out of the hollow, Echoflight broke into a sprint, racing through the undergrowth. The sun broke through the trees, shining on her silver fur. As he ran alongside her, he thought about how insanely lucky he was to have her for a friend. This amazing, wonderful, she-cat; who was he compared to her?

They burst out of the treeline, a stunning view of the lake stretching out before them. The two cats were both panting, but it wasn't just lack of breath that rendered Flamestorm speechless, it was what lay beyond the lake.

Huge storm clouds were coming towards them a rapid rate. Beneath them, a blur of white signified falling snow.

"But- But it's Greenleaf!" Flamestorm exclaimed. "There can't be snow!"

Echoflight shot him a withering glance. "No duh, Flamestorm," she sighed.

The tom felt his face heat up. "Sorry," he mumbled. "But how? There haven't even been any clouds in the sky recently!"

"If I knew, don't you think I'd tell you?" Echoflight snapped. Flamestorm's face fell, and he turned his gaze back to the oncoming storm. "Ah, fox-dung, I'm sorry Flamestorm, I'm really sorry, please forgive me-"

Flamestorm held up his tail to silence her, before turning his head to lock eyes with the she-cat. His face was unusually serious and solemn. Slowly he brought his face closer to hers, the air thick around them.

An orange paw flashed out of nowhere and booped Echoflight's nose. "There, forgiven," Flamestorm announced proudly.

Echoflight scowled. "Flamestorm now is not the time for your antics. We have a serious problem-"

A rustling in the bushes cut the she-cat off, and 5 cats burst out. He recognized Froststar in the lead, followed by Dustblaze and Fernleaf. Two senior warriors, Redstorm (his foster father) and Sparrowwing followed.

"Is it true?" Dustblaze gasped.

Wordlessly, Echoflight nodded towards the oncoming storm. The assortment of cats stared silently at it, now halfway across the lake. With a jolt, Flamestorm noticed that the water was freezing beneath it as it moved.

"Fernleaf," Redstorm began. "what does it mean? How is this possible?"

The light brown she-cat took a step back. "I-I don't know," she stammered. "Surely- Surely we have done nothing wrong? This is a mistake, it has to be a mistake..."

Froststar cleared her throat. "Regardless, we must deal with this. Sparrowwing and Flamestorm, stay here and watch its approach. You can alternate on updates. Dustblaze, Sparrowwing, and Echoflight, I need you to go find and call back all patrols. Fernleaf, do whatever you need to do. I'm-" she trailed off for a split second here, an odd look in her eyes. "I'm going back to camp."

Nodding at them, she turned and raced back into the forest. The three sent to retrieve the patrols headed in different directions, and Fernleaf stood, conflicted, for a moment before heading shakily towards the WindClan border.

Sparrowwing settled down to watch and wait. "When it hits shore, you can head back and tell Froststar," he said quietly.

Flamestorm nodded. "Okay!" he chirped, before scrambling down the ridge to the shore itself. He wanted a better view of the approaching phenomenon.

The storm clouds writhed, turning over one another. They churned and twisted, spinning in a sick dance. Their colors changed perpetually, from gray to white to black. "They're not moving," Flamestorm said aloud as he realized it. "New ones are just forming, in front of them- How?"

Standing in wonder, he admitted one thing to himself. "It is kind of cool. In a weird way. Wonder how this will go down in history?"

A voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Flamestorm! What are you doing down there? Get back up here, you don't want to get caught in the storm."

Flamestorm hung his head. "Coming, Sparrowwing," he mumbled, before scrambling back up the slope.

Sparrowwing's amber eyes looked disdainfully at the younger warrior. "Really, Flamestorm, you need to act more mature one of these days. You'd think you were still a rouge kit, the way you act- What is it?" he suddenly demanded of the younger cat. "What are you looking at?"

Flamestorm's mouth was slightly agape, his blue eyes wide and fixated on something behind the light brown tom. Sparrowwing twisted around, beginning to ask a question, only to trail off as he laid eyes on what the black-and-brown cat was staring at.

The storm had traversed quickly, and was almost upon them while the two talked. Sparrowwing gaped at it for a moment, before snapping out of it and yelling at Flamestorm. "Run, you fool!"

Flamestorm whirled around, shoving off the ground with powerful hind legs. Sparrowwing followed, panting with the exertion. But Flamestorm was the faster runner, and he soon overtook the senior warrior.

Paws drumming on the ground, a yowl caused the warrior to skid on the leaves and turn around.

"Flamestorm!"

Sparrowwing was running as fast as he could, but the storm was overtaking him. "Run!" the senior warrior screeched, before being lost in the whirling blizzard.

Flamestorm didn't have time to be horrified- He ran, ran as fast as he could, wondering what would happen to the brown warrior, hoping that he could reach the stone hollow in time.

The enterace came into sight. Flamestorm let out a yell. "It's coming! Take cover!"

He ran the final few tail-lenghts into the hollow, then, without pausing my bolted into the warrior's den. There he lay, taking shuddering breaths, eyes closed tightly. A blast of cold wind and snow let him know that the blizzard had reached the camp; he whimpered and burrowed further into his nest. His paws were sweaty, he was dreadfully thirsty, and he felt dizzy and nauseous.

He hoped Sparrowwing was still alive. He tried to convince himself that the senior warrior was. But deep in his heart, he knew that there was no chance, and he didn't want to think about who else would go to StarClan because of this storm.


	4. Chapter 2

Thunder rumbled across the sky, dark gray clouds churning. A stunning orange she-cat with amber eyes turned her head to the stormy sky.

"Snowfall is coming," she murmured.

A black tom with frigid blue eyes walked up beside her, ribs showing. "It's always snowfall these days, dear," he responded.

The she-cat laughed, her belly, heavy with kits, swaying as she did so. "Of course, Ragnarok," she said, headbutting him playfully. "but we should hurry and find shelter. I don't want to be caught in the cold."

A rare smile graced Ragnarok's face, for Fire and Fire alone. "Of course, my love," he purred, blue eyes warming, before he leaped forward, sinking into the snow. "Oof!"

Fire laughed, a twinkling, gorgeous sound. 'Come on, silly," she purred, before lightly trotting forward.

Digging himself out of the snow, Ragnarok hurried after her. As she walked, long orange fur falling effortlessly around her, he wondered when he had gotten so lucky as to have this amazing, stunning, gorgeous she-cat for a mate.

Shaking his head to get rid of the sentimental thoughts, he quickened his pace so that he was walking next to Fire. They stayed that way for a while, a comfortable silence. Ragnarok normally didn't like silences, as they usually heralded trouble of some kind, but he loved Fire's silences. The she-cat gave off a feeling of comfort when she was silent, a silence that enveloped him in warmth and love.

Oh, foxdung. He really was turning into a lovestruck fool, now was he?

Fire nudged his shoulder. "What are you thinking of?"

Ragnarok glanced down at her. "Oh, nothing," he said absentmindedly.

"Mhmm..." Fire responded, looking forward and quickening her pace.

After a while, he sighed. "You've turned me into a fool blinded by love, you know that, right?"

Fire smiled. "I regret nothing," she proclaimed.

Ragnarok rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitched up anyway.

Fire hummed. "What do you think our kittens will be like?" she mused.

The black tom fell silent. "They'll be beautiful just like you," he affirmed. "and smart, and caring."

"They'll have your eyes," Fire smiled. "And your stubbornness."

"Your loyalty," Ragnarok mewed.

"And your skill in battle," Fire mused.

"Your dexterity," her mate grinned.

"And your fluffy little ears," Fire said mischievously, reaching up to bat at them.

"My ears are NOT fluffy or little!" Ragnarok protested.

Fire laughed, "Yes you do~"

The black tom grumbled. "Whatever."

Fire laughed and entwined her tail with his. "I love you all the more for it," she smiled.

A fuzzy feeling spread throughout Ragnarok's body, warming him despite the freezing cold. Purring, he bumped his head against Fire's. "And I love you," he whispered quietly.

A low growl alerted both cats to another presence. Ragnarok whipped around, moving forward so that he was in front of his mate. His eyes changed from loving to harsh and challenging.

A badger was standing in-between two trees. Its pelt was ragged and dirty, and Ragnarok could see its bones. The beast's eyes were wild with hunger, and drool dripped from its yellowing jaws.

With a harsh roar, the badger loped towards them. It reared up on its hind legs when it reached them, intending to crush them in one blow.

Ragnarok hissed, darting under the badger's belly. unsheathing his claws, he raked them into the badger's underbelly. The beast snarled, before stumbling around to snap at Ragnarok's tail.

The black tom screeched in pain, ripping his tail out from the thing's jaws. Backtracking from the fight, he growled at the beast as blood stained the white snow red. The snowflakes began to fall more rapidly, limiting his vision.

The badger took a step forward, intending to finish him off, but an orange blur flew in front of it, standing protectively in front of the rouge. Fire snarled, before lunging forward. Her claws gleaned as she dug them into the badger's muzzle.

A brief smile flitted across Ragnarok's face at his mate's loyalty, but it twisted into a snarl as he leaped back into battle. Jumping onto the thing's back, he began to clobber its ears, shredding them. He saw Fire scramble off and breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she made it to safety.

The badger roared and bucked suddenly, throwing Ragnarok and Fire off. Twisting in midair, he nimbly landed on his feet and started to sprint back towards it. Gripping onto its tail, he clamped his jaws down onto the middle and clung there.

The badger twisted around and raked its claws along his pelt. Wincing, he dropped off and was met with an unsheathed paw; his eyes widened as it collided with his face, sending him reeling.

Groaning, he managed to open his eyes and see the badger's jaws bearing down on him. Fear shot through him, and his blood ran cold as he realized he was going to die-

But the blow never came. A body collided with him, shoving him away and into the snow. Choking and sputtering, his tail still aching, he frantically dug himself out of the white powder.

As his head broke through, he blinked furiously to clear his vision, before turning his attention to the badger.

And then his heart dropped into his stomach.

The badger loomed over Fire, jaws open. And Fire, his beautiful, lovely Fire, had a gaping wound in her side, blood spilling out and staining the snow crimson.

An unfamiliar sound came from Ragnarok's throat, and he was running forward, his eyes wide and filled with fury. And then he was clawing, biting, scratching, intent on _hurting_ the badger, on getting revenge for Fire. With a roar, the beast finally stumbled away, it's fur sticky with blood. Ragnarok stood panting, staring after it, before turning and racing to his mate's body.

Skidding to a halt beside her, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her chest still moving ever so slightly. "Fire? Fire, my love, talk to me, come on, there's bound to be a healer somewhere around here-"

"Ragnarok..."

Instantly he fell silent. "Yes?"

Fire coughed, blood leaking out of her mouth. "Ra-Ragnarok, there's no hope for me now... You must go on without me..."

"No!" Ragnarok demanded. "Don't say that, Fire! You won't die, you can't! Think of our kits!"

Fire smiled ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, my love," she whispered before the life faded from her eyes.

Ragnarok froze. "Fire..?" he ventured. "Fire, no- Fire you can't leave me- NO!" he cried. "No, no, no no no no..." He sunk to the ground, sobbing.

"Why?" he gasped. "Why? I'm so sorry, Fire... I'm sorry that I wasn't able to protect you, and our kits... I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough..."

"I love you..."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry this took so long :P** **Anyway, he's important to the story, and this scene is also really important to the story, so even though it seems unrelated it's not.**

 **By the way, does anyone have any fanfiction recommendations, or want me to read their fanfiction? Thanks!**

 **(ALSO DID I MAKE ANYONE CRY WITH THIS CHAPTER)**

 **-Wayward Starchaser**


	5. Chapter 3

Much to her surprise, when Treepaw awoke it was to sunlight streaming into the apprentice's den and illuminating the wintery gorge beyond.

It took the 8-moon-old cat a moment for her to wholly recognize what she was seeing, but when she did she leaped to her feet, eyes shining. The leaf-bare was over!

In a rare moment of wisdom, she stifled a yowl of excitement and tiptoed over to Sandpaw, the medicine cat apprentice. She gave Phantompaw a wide berth. Stupid kitty-warrior! she thought disdainfully.

Reaching the medicine cat-in-training, the began to prod the sandy ginger with a paw. "Wake up, Sandpaw!" she whispered excitedly.

With a groan, the she-cat awoke and forced open her crystal-blue eyes. "What is it, Treepaw?" the older cat asked.

Treepaw smiled. "There's the sun! The leaf-bare is ending!"

Yawning, Sandpaw got to her paws and stretched. "It's probably just a break in the cloud cover, Treepaw," she said, amused. "See? Look at the icicles. They should be melting at least a little."

Treepaw felt her face heat up with embarrassment as she noticed the icicles at the mouth of the den. "Oh," she mumbled.

Sandpaw giggled and cuffed her over the head. "You're so cute, Treepaw," she called over her shoulder as she exited the den.

"Hey! I'm not cute!"

Huffing, the dusty brown she-cat stalked out of the den, grumbling about how she was most definitely not cute.

Scrambling down to the gorge, she cast a final glance up at the sky. A small gap in the swirling gray masses allowed the bit of sunlight to come through. It wasn't warm, or particularly bright. But it was a nice change from the shade cast endlessly by the thick clouds.

A few cats were already up, likely having been woken by the sunlight as she was. She noticed Screechfrost and Hawkleap talking by the river, and, smiling, bounded over to her mentor.

"Hey, Hawkleap!" she chirped, diving into the snow next to him. "What're we doing today?"

The golden-brown tom laughed. "Hey, squirt. Eagleflight said something about going on a hunting patrol later today, so be ready. But we've got a few minutes- Now shoo, go play," he mewed playfully, batting her away.

Treepaw shrugged. "Alright," she mewed, before scampering off to the middle of the camp. There, the dusty brown she-cat hesitates for a moment, trying to decide where to go.

Before she could make her descision, something bit down hard on her tail. The apprentice recoiled in shock, before shooting forward and promptly tumbling down into the snow. The white powder crumbled beneath her, and she found herself plunging downwards, the snow falling in above her and cooking her mouth and lungs.

Choking and sputtering, her paws pedaled frantically, trying to dig a way out. Snow rushed into her mouth the second she opened it, cutting off her airflow even more. Her lungs began to burn, and her black spots started to appear in her vision.

Help! She thought desperately. I don't want to die like this!

A strong pair of teeth gripped her scruff, and Treepaw found herself being lifted up out of the white prison. She barely registered being placed gently on the ground, voices circulating above her.

Will she be okay?

What happened?

Oh, Blazekit, what did you do?

Sandpaw! Get yarrow, now! And grab some poppy seeds while you're at it.

Paws kneaded her chest and stomach frantically, Flowershine's voice ringing in her ears. "Don't die on me, Treepaw!"

A leaf was suddenly shoved into her mouth and down her throat, and she swallowed on reflex. Almost as soon as she did, her stomach convulsed painfully, and she vomited onto the white snow, icky bits of leaves and snow and the remains of yesterday's fresh-kill dripping from her jaws.

Immediately after she broke into a violent hacking fit, powdery white flying from her lips as her body purged itself of the frozen water that had invaded her respiratory system. Collapsing onto the ground, she felt Hawkleap's warm scent wrap around her, her mentor whispering comforting nothings into her ear. Dim green eyes vaguely registered a few seeds in front of her, and Flowershine commanding her to lap them up.

Mindlessly, Treepaw did as asked. She felt herself being lifted into the air, and carried somewhere. The last thing she felt was the soft folds of a moss nest enveloping her before blackness overtook her vision, this time the blackness of sleep instead of the awful blackness that came with a lack of oxygen.

She awoke many hours later to a pitch black cave and rumbling in the sky up above her. Blinking sleepily, it took the young she-cat a moment to reigister that she was in the medicine den. Flowershine was only a few pawsteps away, sleeping soundly in her own nest.

Hesitantly, Treepaw stood up on unsure legs before padding out if the den. She could be back before the medicine Cat even knew she was gone. Besides, she only wanted answers- Harmless, right?

A figure was seated at the enterance to the SkyClan camp, his fur ruffling in the winter wind. Treepaw moved silently towards him, recognizing her mentor instantly, before pressing up against his warm pelt.

Hawkleap laughed as she arrived. "Hey, Sapling," he laughed. "What're you here for?"

"What happened yesterday?" she asked sleepily, watching a spider weave its web.

The tom hummed. "Blazekit tried to surprise you by jumping on your tail. You, my dear apprentice, freaked out, and ended up trapped under the snow. According to the medicine cats, snow got in your throats and blocked you from breathing. They shoved yarrow down your throat, which made you vomit, which cleared your entire system up or something."

"Oh," Treepaw said quietly.

"Mhmm. What're you looking at?"

The dusty brown she-cat's eyes were transfixed on the arachnid. "Does that spider look... Weird to you?"

Hawkleap squinted. "Huh, you're right. It looks like it was made of... of ice..." he trailed off, and the spider stopped in its tracks and seemed to almost turn to look at them.

"Yes," her mentor whispered excitedly. "It is! Maybe it has something to do with this leaf-bare. C'mon, we've got to tell Larkstar." He turned to walk away, but as he did, the spider moved forward with impossible speed, expanding into the shape of an icy cat. It collided with the two, knocking them to the ground before they could move.

Treepaw stared, transfixed. The ice-cat-spider-thing was a wonderful work of art, it's crystal eyes staring into her soul. At the same time, it was deadly, sharp icy claws poised over her throat. She swallowed nervously- How was this possible?

"You will do no such thing," the Cat growled threateningly, before a hard frozen paw collided with the side of her head. Darkness overtook her vision once more, and Treepaw's last waking thought was that she was really, really growing to hate the color black.


	6. Chapter 4

Leafstorm cast his eyes out over the frozen lake, which gleamed silver in the few beams of winter moonlight that made their way through the clouds. His paws crunched against the snow as he padded along the shore, making his way back towards ShadowClan from the Moonpool.

This was his first journey to the sacred place since the leaf-bare started. He had been skeptical of whether his warrior ancestors would visit him; the shimmering pool has been frozen over with a thick sheet of ice, like most other bodies of water in the territories. Even so, he had put his nose to the ice and was comforted when the divine sleep overcame him.

The medicine cat's comfort had been short-lived, however. He had gone to the Moonpool looking for answers, and had come away with nothing but a grim promise that he would "see red soon."

The words had not been appealing to the brown and white tabby. They sounded, in his opinion, quite like an omen of death, and he was reluctant to report the words to Nightstar, his leader.

Splish, splash...

Leafstorm's ears shot up, his blue eyes widening.

Splish, splash...

That... That sounded like... But no- It couldn't be...

Plop, plop, splash...

No, that was definitely water! Water that hadn't been seen in almost half a moon, that is.

Splish, splish, splash...

Leafstorm set his jaw. His ears swiveled frantically, and in a few moments, he determined that the sound came from the west.

The medicine cat pushed off from the hardened snow, quickly accelerating into a sprint. His lanky, wiry form took him quickly across the territories, and he soon found himself and the opening to a small cavern.

The tabby hesitated. The sound of the water was clear now, and while he had always found himself with an inexplicable urge to venture underground, his mother had always tried to rid him of this desire.

"ShadowClan cats aren't made for the tunnels," his mother had told him when he had expressed this desire to her as a kit. "Leave that to the WindClanners."

"Why do the WindClan cats get to go underground and I don't?" he had asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Because you are a ShadowClan cat," his mother had growled, a look he couldn't place coming into her eyes. "Do you understand me, Leafkit?"

"Y-Yes," he had squeaked, stumbling backward and running out of the nursery.

Leafstorm shook his head. That's in the past, he told himself firmly. This is now. Squaring his shoulders, he descended into the darkness.

Immediately, and surprisingly, he instantly felt at home in the cavern. His paws unconsciously found the best route, and before he knew it he emerged into a small hallowed out space in the earth.

His eyes had adjusted to the lighting almost instantly, and he sucked in a breath as he saw what lay on the back of the cavern.

Red drops of water dropped down from the ceiling, falling into a pool below. He felt strangely drawn to it, and as he neared the pool he saw, with a shock, an image in the water.

There was a colossal, elaborate structure, and a cat sprinting towards it. As the two collides, the formation dissolved, and the dissolved bits began to swirl around, showing an image of a forest in Greenleaf.

Suddenly, the pool began to grow, leaping at Leafstorm's white paws. He pulled them away quickly, and with a feeling of dread saw that they were stained red.

Swallowing nervously, he turned tail and ran as fast as he could out of the cavern. Shooting out from the entrance, he threw himself behind a slowly-dying tree and hid there, shivering in the cold.

When he finally looked back at it, the cavern was gone, a fresh blanket of snow in it's place.

"Fallenshade, wake up!"

The aforementioned cat groaned and buried deeper into his nest. "Sleepy," he grumbled.

A paw prodded his shoulder. "Come on, Fallenshade! Stormstar's about to make an announcement about the Gathering last night! Supposedly something big happened!"

The gray tabby groaned and reluctantly climbed out of his soft mossy nest. "Lead on, Featherpaw," he mewed, amused.

"Yay!" the little apprentice chirped, before brushing shoulders with the older cat. "Follow me!"

Fallenshade chuckled and allowed the fluffy gray cat to lead him to the gathering place. He could hear the other cats mingling all around him.

"Nice to see you made it, Fallenshade," a cat mewed playfully. "I thought you were going to sleep in that den all day!"

The gray tabby gasped in mock astonishment. "Why, Rapidshine! I am mortified that you would think something like that of me!"

"Be mortified all you want," the golden she-cat teased. "But the truth remains- You could sleep through a badger attack if you wanted to!"

Fallenshade opened his mouth to make a snarky retort but was cut off by Stormstar's yowl. "Cats of WindClan!" the old leader called. "Please, quiet down."

The clan instantly fell silent. Stormstar cleared his throat and began his announcement. "Those of you who were at the Gathering have surely concluded what issue I will be addressing. And no, Yellowpaw, I am not confirming that tunnels are "way more awesome than moor-runners" just so you can one-up your sister."

A short burst of laughter rang through the air at the old leader's comment. Fallenshade's lips twisted into a mirthless smile at the comment. He would have liked to be a moor-runner, but alas, there's only so much a blind cat can do.

"Instead," Stormstar announced, "I will be addressing the issue that many of you heard last night at the Gathering- The proposal to send out an expedition to try and stop the leaf-bare."

Fallenshade did a double-take, his blind green eyes widening. Had he heard the old leader correctly?

"I know many of you have formed your own opinions on this," Stormstar continued. "And there will be much time to reconsider my decision. But for the time being, I have chosen to go along with Nightstar's plan and volunteer a cat for the expedition."

Yowls filled Fallenstorm's ears instantly, making the elder wince. Some were of protest, some were of agreement, and some were of cats arguing with each other over the decision. Fallenshade himself thought the idea was absurd- The Clans were already suffering as they were, why send cats away from the clan?

"Silence!" Swiftfoot, the deputy, bellowed. "Respect Stormstar's decision," he growled. "We still have half a moon to finalize."

With the black-and-white tom's words, the cats began to disperse, spreading out among the clan to share their thoughts on the matter. Fallenshade sighed and shook his head. Stormstar was absurd to go along with this plan, he reflected. It would only end in suffering for the clans as needless lives were lost in some insane journey to stop a freak of nature.


	7. Chapter 5

brisk wind tugged at Rushingpelt's fur as the copper-eyed cat trudged miserably through the thick, powdery snow. His gray paws sunk deeply into the substance, so far that his belly fur brushed the top.

Lighningstar glanced back at him from where he was walking with Troutflame. "Hurry up!" he called, an amused grin flashing onto his features. "We don't have all night!"

"Coming!" he called from behind him. He quickened his pace until he was walking next to Troutflame, Riverclan's deputy. The red tabby glanced over at him, snow lightly dusting her long fur.

"Excited?" she mewed, green eyes intrigued.

Rushingpelt laughed breathlessly, the cold leaf-bare air stinging his lungs. "Yeah," he mewed. "Terrified, too."

The deputy nodded understandingly. "That makes sense. I'd be scared out of my mind if I had to leave the lake!" she laughed, before sobering up. "Still, I'm glad you're going. You're a great warrior, Rushingpelt, and I think you'll be able to stop any... any more deaths from happening."

Dawnfoot, Rushingpelt thought with a pang. The friendly cinnamon tom with black paws had frozen to death on guard vigil not long before Lightningstar announced the decision to send a cat to try and stop the leaf-bare. In fact, it was his death that had ultimately pushed the leader to agree with ShadowClan's proposition.

Looking at Troutflame now, her green eyes filled with something utterly broken, the pain of heartbreak and loss, he was overcome with a wave of guilt. He could have prevented it; if he had only told someone, maybe the leaf-bare could have been avoided...

One of his paws struck something hard, and Rushingpelt lurched forward unexpectedly. Letting out a yelp of surprise, his head collided with something cold and hard, and the breath knocked out of his aching lungs. Scrambling up hurriedly, he only stumbled to the ground again as his paws failed to get a firm grip on the ground.

The ground made of ice, he realized. He hadn't even noticed that they were near the lake, and now he was lying on the ice next to the fallen tree.

Grunting, he swung out a paw and dug his claws into the old, rotting wood. Some of it crumbled away beneath his paws, and he swore under his breath before managing to scramble onto the thing.

Soft laughter echoed behind him, and he turned to glare at Troutflame, who was trying to muffle the sound with her paw. Lightningstar was grinning widely beside her,

"Oh, shut up," he growled, before shuffling along the trunk to the other side.

He leaped off the rotting chunk of wood, landing in a thick snowdrift. Huffing indignantly, he began to shovel his way through, eventually emerging into the space where the Gathering was held.

His copper eyes instantly picked up on the other cats in the area. Nightstar stood nearby with Crowtalon, and Swiftfoot, the Windclan deputy stood alone- Curiously, there was no Stormstar.

"Hello, Nightstar, Swiftfoot," Lightningstar mewed. "Glad you could make it."

"You as well, Lightningstar," Nightstar dipped his head.

Swiftfoot cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ah, hello. Who have you selected?"

The Riverclan leader nodded towards him. "Rushingpelt is one of our finest warriors," he purred. "I am confident in his abilities to join this expedition."

Everyone turned to look at him, and the longhaired gray warrior ducked his head, feeling hot under his pelt.

"Good choice," Nightstar mewed. "I've chosen Crowtalon, personally. I trust in his leadership and battle skills to serve the cats chosen. Russetstreak will serve as deputy in his place."

Rushingpelt's copper eyes flicked up to meet the ShadowClan cat's amber ones, and they exchanged a nod. He'd spoken to Crowtalon before- He had been the subject of much debate when he became deputy, due to his lack of belief in StarClan.

"I have been selected by the stars as the representative of the clan of the wind," a dreamy voice said. "I believe my abilities will serve my fellow cats on this mission."

The RiverClan tom gave a start, noticing the pale white she-cat with stunning green eyes for the first time. His lip curled in disgust- It was Runningwish, the former kittypet who had become WindClan's medicine cat.

Said she-cat shook out her fur, before raising her head. "Should we set off, then?"

Swiftfoot nodded. "Good plan."

Nightstar cracked a weary smile. "Seconded," he mewed, before turning to Crowtalon. "Good luck, my friend."

Crowtalon nodded and brushed his muzzle with the leaders, before awkwardly shuffling away.

Runningwish dipped her head, before going to stand next to him. Rushingpelt turned to face Troutflame, and the red she-cat touched noses with him before pulling away.

"Good luck," she mewed, blinking.

"Ah, thanks," Rushingpelt mumbled, before saying his goodbyes to Lightningstar. He began to pad towards the others, and soon they were crossing the log and then RiverClan territory, on a journey to the unknown.

Leafstorm slunk along the path to the Moonpool, barely making a sound. Lilypuddle, Riverclan's medicine cat, walked alongside him, her tabby fur brushing his. The brisk winter wind blew snow into his eyes and stung his lungs, and he shivered and fluffed up his fur to preserve warmth.

Another pair of pawsteps joined them, and he heard Fernleaf meow a hello, Birchpaew echoing her sentiment. Berrypool joined them not long after, and the 5 cats huddled together for warmth. It slowed their progress, but none of them minded as they struggled through the snow.

Eventually, they reached the Moonpool, it's frozen surface shimmering and crystalline. The cat's breath fogged the surface of it as they crouched in front of it. Leafstorm craned his neck, touching his nose to the frigid ice, and was instantly overcome with a divine sleep.

He awoke to a warm breeze brushing his fur. Sighing in relief, he closed his blue eyes and simply let the warmth sink into his bones.

Opening them again, he took note of his surroundings. He was on the bank of a river, soft sand beneath his paws. Pine needles began a little ways away, falling from the towering trees above him. Sunlight dappled the ground, and his ears easily picked up on the sounds of prey scuttling around in the undergrowth.

An enraged yowl suddenly interrupted the sounds of the forest, and he whipped around to find a lanky, pale white tom with pink eyes glaring at him from between two bushes.

"Um, hi?" he mewed nervously.

The tom shook his head angrily. "You fool! You absolute fool!"

Leafstorm backed up a few pawsteps, careful not to slip and fall into the river. "What? I got the sign- That there would be danger, but the leaf-bare could be stopped-"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT THE SIGN MEANT!" the tom roared. He lashed his tail, and the river rose up, it's water's turning blood-red. Leafstorm found himself unable to move; the water seemed to stretch all the way to the sky, churning and frothing high above him.

With a crash, it dropped, and for many horrible seconds, Leafstorm was trapped, water rushing into his mouth and filling his lungs. Then it was over, and he found himself standing in the exact same spot, the river beside him back to its normal color.

Slowly, he looked down at his paws, to see they were stained red, the white color interrupted by a flood of crimson.

Red paws, he thought absently.

Redpaws.

 _Redpaw!_

Leafstorm sucked in a breath his eyes darting up to meet the tom's pink ones. The tom stared coolly back, his tail sweeping the ground beneath him.

"Do you see what you've done?" he growled. "You've misunderstood a sign. And now the wrong cats are going to stop the leaf-bare. Do you know what that means?"

The tom stalked towards him until his face was right in front of Leafstorm's. "It means that they will fail," he hissed. "and unless if you can right your wrong and send Redpaw on the journey, the leaf-bare will continue... _forever."_


	8. Chapter 6

**Special thanks to ReadingAnimeLover, who provided all the dialouge for this chapter and is the owner of Redpaw, Falconpaw, and Crowpaw, and has been a great help to me in general while writing this.**

* * *

 _It was cold- bitterly cold, a cold that seeped into Redpaw's very being and chilled his bones. It was a cold like no other he'd ever experienced, a cold that burned his lungs and his heart and made his eyes sting and fill with tears._

 _He ducked his head against the howling wind in a futile attempt to make the going easier. His paws sunk into the snow, frozen practically solid by the chill. Keep going, he told himself. You have to keep going._

 _Go where?_

 _Turning, he squinted, desperately trying to see past the white curtain that covered his eyes. Straining, the blizard seemed to lighten, and he could see a group of cats struggling towards him._

 _Who are you?_

 _"Hey mousebrain, tell us where we're going!" one of them yelled indignantly, voice barely heard over the wind._

 _"Yeah, wake up and keep going, or we won't make it!" another echoed, louder than the last._

 _"Wake up!" a third yelled, ringing in Redpaw's ears._

 _Wake up_

 _Wake up_

"Wake up!" a paw prodded him sharply in the side, jabbing into his ribs. Redpaw jolted awake with a start, rolling away and leaping to his feet, staring wildly around the den.

"W-what?" he gasped, lungs still burning.

Falconpaw swished his tail angrily across the floor of the den. "Look, I get that we're forced to be in the same den because we're both apprentices, but that doesn't mean you can yowl your head off in your sleep and disturb mine!" he snapped irritably.

"Hey, take it easy, Falconpaw," Crowpaw meowed, appearing in the entrance. "He only moved in the den with us a little while ago, so he's just... getting used to it, that's all."

"Oh, yeah?" Falconpaw snapped, pupils constricting. "Well, stop defending him all the time, Crowpaw! If he's really going to train to be a Clan warrior, he has to learn to fight his own battles!"

Redpaw bristled, tail fluffing up. "I CAN fight my own battles, I just-" he protested.

"You're just scared, that's what it is," Falconpaw sneered, a cocky smirk making its way onto his face. "You're a sacred little kittypet! Go run to Twolegplace and find some Twolegs to take you in, because you're not tough enough to be a real ShadowClan cat!"

Redpaw's vision blurred, red-hot rage coursing like fire through his veins. He growled, a low, raw, primal sound that came from the depths of his soul. Tensing his muscles, he leapt forward and tackled the larger apprentice with a strength he didn't know he had.

"Unf!" Falconpaw gasped as the breath was forcibly shoved out of his lungs, amber eyes wide as he stared into Redpaw's stormy gray ones.

"Redpaw, what's the meaning of this?" A shadow was cast across the squabbling apprentices as an imposing figure walked up beside Crowpaw. Redpaw's eyes widened as he recognizing Nightstar, ShadowClan's strict leader and Falconpaw's father.

Scrambling backwards, he hurried to plead his case. "He started-"

"I don't care who started it, you attacked him!" Nightstar cut him off, lashing his tail angrily.

Crowpaw stepped between the two, defending Redpaw as always. "Well, Falconpaw was provoking him!" he argued. "He called him a kittypet!"

Nightstar cooly regarded Crowpaw, eyes betraying nothing. "...I see. Well then. Redpaw, Falconpaw, you both have to be punished. I think that a day off from training clearing away dirty bedding will do you good. "

Redpaw gasped. "That's not fair!"

Falconpaw echoed his sentiment, agreeing with the smaller apprentice for once in his life. "Yeah, why do I have to-"

"Enough!" Nightstar snapped. "My decision is final." he hissed before striding out of the den.

Falconpaw was quiet until his father was out of earshot, at which point he whirled around to face Redpaw. "Thanks a lot, you piece of fox-dung," he spat, before sullenly sliding out of the den.

Crowpaw cleared his throat, shufling his paws. "Well, it could be worse," he poined out. "I mean, at least you're not picking ticks off of elders like the apprentices in other Clans have to."

His brother snorted derisevly. "Yeah, and gross smelling bedding is SO much fresher, is it?" he snapped. "I hate him!"

"He's just a mousebrain, Redpaw, you know that." the black tom said quietly, looking at him sympathetically.

"Yeah, but... it doesn't make sense, what he called me... kittypet." Redpaw mumbed, staring at the ground. "My mother is Minnowsplash, and her and my father are Clanborn like anyone else." he insisted.

Crowpaw shrugged, looking at him with an odd expression. "Who knows? Just ignore him. He'll pick on someone else eventually."

Redpaw's eyes flashed dangerously. "He's been picking on me since I first met him, the arrogant furball! He-"

"Sorry to interrupt your angry beginnings of a rant, but shouldn't you go clean out the bedding now?" the black tom pointed out, not wanting this to get out of hand.

The russet tom froze. "Oh, right! Thanks, Crowpaw," he smiled, butting the other tom in the shoulder. "You're a great brother."

"Thanks for the fresh bedding, Redpaw!" Blueflame smiled at him kindly, leaning out the nest to grip Goosekit by his scruff and place him a her belly.

"Yeah, no thanks to Falconpaw," Redpaw proclaimed, glaring at the brown-and-white tom. "All he's done is sit on his tail and watch!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" the other apprentice protested. "I only took a teensy tiny break to look at Blueflame's kits! They were only born two days ago!"

"Yes, I remember when you were that small, and Redpaw. I remember you most of all!" Bluelfmaed laughed, preventing an argument from starting. "You were so small that you were half the size MY kits are! It was lucky that the moonhigh patrol found you when they did, or you wouldn't be-"

"Wait... FOUND me? What do you mean, Blueflame?" Redpaw interrupted, eyes wide. That must have been a slip of the tongue, he told himself, desperate attempting to quench the rising panic within him. You're clanborn,just like everyone else here. (Well, except Summerfall.)

The grayish-blue she-cat froze, nervously stuttering out her response. "W-well, it... I mean-"

"I wasn't born here... was I?" Redpaw asked in a small voice, feeling as if he was being sucked into a black hole of despair and hopelessness, his worst fear becoming a cruel reality.

"Told you you were a kittypet!" Falconpaw smugly proclaimed, oblivious to Redpaw's internal suffering, not that he would have cared.

"S-Shut up, Falconpaw!" the russet apprenitice snapped, voice cracking. "So my real mother...?" he asked Blueflame hesitantly.

"S-she... we never meant for you to find out this way, Redpaw." the queen mumbled quietly, too ashamed to meet Redpaw's eyes.

"WE?!" he cried, vision beginning to blur with tears.

"Y-yes, the Clan all know." Blueflame whimpered, pawing at the ground. "We meant to tell you, but there was never a right-"

"I can't believe this!" Redpaw screamed. "My mother was a- A kittypet? You... you all lied to me my whole life? I HATE YOU!" he roared, before turning tail and running out of the camp, faster than he had ever run before, paying no mind to the burning of his lungs and no attention to where he was going.

The queen struggled up, stumbling after him. "Redpaw, wait! Oh StarClan no!"

Snow fell gently from the rolling stormclouds, peppering the russet fur of the sobbing apprentice with white. Below him, the Moonpool's icy surface shimmered with light, casting a strange glow over the scene.

Hicupping, the tom looked at the glowing pool with red-rimmed eyes. His own reflection stared back at him accusingly, as if to say, "Look at you, pretending to be a warrior when all you'll ever be is a pitiful kittypet."

"Who am I?" he whispered at it brokenly.

"You're Redpaw," a voice announced. "And I think that's great."

The tom in question whirled around, eyes wide. "L-leafstorm! I... I was just-"

"I know why you ran away, I heard the commotion when I was coming back from gathering herbs." The medicine cat told him.

"Oh," Redpaw said lamely. "Is it true? That I'm a kittypet?" He knew it was pointless to ask, but he did so anyway, grasping at any sliver of hope that he was clanborn.

Leafstorm walked forward until he was standing in front of Redpaw, blue eyes boring into gray ones. "It's true your mother was a kittypet, Redpaw, but what your heart tells you is different than the blood in your veins." he said. "I was shocked when the patrol came back with you, a small scrap that looked to be heartbeats away from joining StarClan. But then I saw a fire in your eyes, a burning determination to survive and conquer every obstacle in your path. Sure, you can't always see that well, your battle skills don't come as easily as, say, your foster brother's, but you have great courage and I know you'll make a fine ShadowClan warrior one day. But for now, there's something you have to do."

Redpaw stared up at the medicine cat in awe and astonishment. "What is it?" he asked.

"I had a dream, and a StarClan cat came to me and told me that you have to join the expedition to stop this winter. The fate of the Clans is resting in your paws, and this could show everyone that you have what it takes to be a true warrior." Leafstorm smiled at him kindly, eyes gentle and understanding.

Th russet tom gaped at him. "B-but I... I can't, Leafstorm! I'm just a kittypet, it doesn't matter what you say! You can't magically change where I came from, so I'm not a real Clan cat. Falconpaw was right. I'm a nobody. Let him go on the journey instead of me, he is Nightstar's son after all. He favors him over the rest of the apprentices, so why should this be any different if it is an apprentice StarClan is choosing?" He insisted.

"No, this is your destiny, Redpaw," Leafstorm insited, eyes blazing. "You can't just throw it away. StarClan will guide you on this quest." He leaned forward, smoothing out the fur on the apprentice's head. "Have faith in yourself." he whispered.

Redpaw took a shuddering breath, looking down a the ground. When he raised his head, his eyes were alight with the same fire and determination the medicine cat had spoken of. "Okay, I'll do it."

* * *

 **Hey guess who's not dead**

 **Anyway super sorry for the wait for this chapter, I wanted to write the next one and double-post but I literally have no idea what I want to do with it. I want to follow up with Redpaw but at the same time I want to focus on the three cats currently actually going on a journey, but I also want to do something with Flamestorm (I really, really want him to be more than just a background character, he was the first Warriors OC I ever had so he's special to me). So I'm still working on that, and I'm absolutely open to ideas and suggestions.**


	9. Important

Hi guys. First off I want to apologize for my radio silence. Both my school and personal life have been insanely busy, and my schedule will only be more packed in weeks to come. Alongside terrible cases or writer's block, I really haven't had much time to write. So, until summer, Infinita Frigus will be on a temporary hiatus. I really, really didn't want to do this, but I think it's the best option. However, if any of you have your own ideas for this story, don't want to wait until summer to see it continued, and would like to take it over from me, let me know and I'll consider putting it up for adoption.

 _-Tree_


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